


All In

by RynD



Category: Narcos (TV)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Violence, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Idiots in Love, Link to an ambiant sound on the first chapter, Romance, Slow Burn, Sound Effects
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:41:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22417915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RynD/pseuds/RynD
Summary: Tessa Spencer, a new DEA agent is working with Murphy and Peña in order to catch Escobar.
Relationships: Javier Peña/Original Female Character(s), Javier Peña/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	1. Prologue Ambiance - DEA office

Hello everyone, just a quick editing on my story, I have created a DEA office ambiance on ambiant-mixer.com, I thought you might enjoyed it while reading my or anyone Narcos story :) 

Here is the link : https://movies-other.ambient-mixer.com/narcos---dea-office 

This site doesn't allow to add any music, due to copyright, but you can find the Narcos OST of Pedro Bromfman on Youtube 

So, just for the ambiance, and as a prologue, imagine ...

The afternoon was slowly moving towards its end, in the infernal heat of Colombian summer. The three DEA agents were benched on their desks, papers and rapports everywhere. The regular sound of the typewriter and the distant spanish chatting of the rest of the DEA agents was quite lulling and the words on Tessa's rapport were becoming more and more blurry as time passed. As she glanced over the files pilling up on her desk, she could tell her colleagues were as excited about paperwork as her. Steve looked weary, his shoulders bending towards his work. In front of him, Javier was clearly completely exhausted, sighing and smoking cigarettes on cigarettes, gradually creating a light cloud floating towards the ceilling. The smoke was beginning to sting Tessa's lungs, and certainely didn't improved her already tired eyes from watering. Javier caught her glancing, and shared a compassionate smile indicating he knew how boring this day was. She smiled back, and her mind began to wander on how his grin made him so enthralling. She shake her head, chassing her weird, clearly tired thoughts and tried to concentrate again on her work.


	2. Prologue Ambiance - DEA office

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you for looking at my fic! First of all, I'm sorry, English is not my first language, and I will need you to point all errors I could have made, so don't hesistate to review, it will improve the quality of the story ! Thank you in advance!

\- “You knew?” Tessa was furious. Javier knew about the location of one of Escobar's men for some time now, and he didn't inform her.

\- “Look, Tes, I'm sorry, but I had this news by one of my informants, and it wasn't in a really legal way, so I didn't want to put you in danger...” Javier really seemed embarrassed. There was a plea in his dark eyes, the kind of sight Tessa knew he habitually used with everyone when he wanted something, to be forgiven right now for example. This man was dangerous. Very dangerous. Not in a criminal mode, but he was manipulative. Fortunately, it didn't work with her. She had pierced his game the first time they have met, two months earlier when she arrived from Miami to join the DEA team with Steve Murphy and Javier Peña. He had openly tried to suggest her by the second evening they could spend more time together after work if she wanted. Without a doubt, he didn’t mean just having an innocent drink between colleagues.

 _Of course_ he had tried. He tried with all girls after all.

But Tessa Spencer wasn’t this kind of girl. She wasn’t interested in just having a little shag ‘for fun’, and had made this point clear. Javier had laughed to her reply, not in an attempt to humiliate her though, but more in a cheerful way, as if he wasn’t impacted at all by her rejection. He was this kind of guy who never minded if the answer was no. He just moved on the next girl. That was why he was so dangerous. However, once she learned to know the character, she recognized he was a great partner. She knew she could count on him and Murphy, as well as they could count on her in work, and she even grew to appreciate Javier as time passed. He had a bold sense of humor and always seemed to have this grin on his mouth and this sparkle on his eyes, as if he was always ready to share jokes and laugh in order of releasing work’s pressure and having a good time with his pals. As time passed, Tessa acknowledged him as a friend. Even when he sometimes was a pain in the ass. As this very moment for example.

-“I don't care whoever girl you had sex with to get this information, I searched for weeks in all the papers, I spent hours listening to all the phone calls of the Cartel we recorded, and all this for nothing? I could have been useful on another track this whole time!” She was mad at him, but couldn’t raise too much her voice. This conversation had to be discreet in order to not alert everybody. No need to warn the entire office of Javier’s questionable methods of investigation. Tessa was angry, but not to the point of compromising her colleague. She glanced at Steve sitting at the next desk, who looked very concentrated on typing his report. Too concentrated in fact she thought, looking at his stiff back and his eyes fixed on his paper. He didn’t want to be part of the discussion. Fine. She couldn’t blame him after all.

\- “It wasn't a girl! My intel is just not the kind of person you want to share a coffee with Tes! It could have been risky to put you in the secret…” Javier tried to justify himself, but he really was doing a poor job. Tessa rolled her eyes.

\- “And what do you think I’m doing in here all day? Putting nail polish? I want to know Javi! I want to be able to do my fucking job!”

\- “You want to be part of it?” Javier slightly turned his face trying to not blow his damn cigarette smoke in her face, and shook his head in resignation. “Very well then. But I warn you, procedures like these can be quite debatable sometimes. If you want to be part of it, I need you to be all in, you understand?”

\- “At last, you are reasonable! Yes, I perfectly understand what you mean. I want to catch Escobar as well as Steve and you, Javi. I am a DEA agent! We are a team! I don’t need to be protected, I can perfectly defend myself and you know that. So stop pretending I can’t handle it, and stop trying to play hero.” She looked right in his dark eyes. “ _All in_ then!”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos bookmarks and subscriptions you left on my first chapter! Here's the next chapter. As I said, English is not my first language (as well as Spanish!), so don't hesitate to tell me if I made some mistakes! Enjoy! :)

As weeks passed, Javier took Steve and Tessa on the ground to meet his informants. On the first real undercover mission she did, she had the non-pleasure to get to know Don Berna, eating in his favorite restaurant. He looked at Javier in a very suggestive way, pointing his fork at Tessa, and asking Javier with a fat laugh something she didn’t understand in Spanish. She didn’t need to understand in fact to know that he was asking him if they were sleeping together. Javier rolled his eyes, and, pulling a picture of an American narco working for Escobar out off his pocket, put it in front of the man in order to avoid answering him and asking him where they could find the criminal at the same time. Don Berna spoke in Spanish to Javier, pointing the picture and waving with his greasy hands as he explained something Steve and Tessa couldn’t comprehend.

\- “What does he say Javi?” asked Tessa.

\- “He says that this man will be at the Mayor’s party in three days. The problem is that we can’t try to catch him here, there will be too many people in there, and he could just disappear in the crowd if we fuck up the operation. We need to lure him away, somewhere he will be alone.” Reply Javier with a frown on his face.

-“What does he suggest?”

Javier spoke back to Don Berna, and the two men keep talking for several minutes. Steve was beginning to lose patience, and Tessa tried her best to catch some words in Spanish. Suddently, the informant said something very simple, that even Steve and Tessa understood:

\- “ _Tu chica es muy bonita_ ” ( _Your girl is very pretty_ ) said Don Berna to Javier, pointing his chin toward her, before continuing to explain the rest of his plan.

-“This is gonna be fun…” whispered Steve to Tessa, an amused glint in his eyes. “20 bucks Javi tries to strangle him!”

Javier looked purely shocked for a couple of seconds, and began to raise the voice in anger, yelling at the man in front of him that he was “ _completamente loco_ ”( _totally crazy_ ) and others things the two other agents couldn’t understand, also pointing at Tessa in the same time. She was afraid to realize what Don Berna was trying to suggest.

-“Does he want me to seduce the target?”She asked.

-“That’s absolutely out of question!” barked Javier, keeping his eyes fixed on Don Berna.

The idea was insane, indeed, but it was the best they had by far.

-“This could work! I could try to attract him away and you and Steve will be waiting somewhere close to catch him.”

-“I said no. Too risky.” Said Javier in a cold tone that didn’t pleased Tessa.

-“So what? You’re jealous? If it was a girl, you would be the first trying to seduce her!”

Javier turned his face to her in shock

-“What the fuck Tes? It’s not a game!”

-“Listen, I don’t question your potential, and I really, really don’t want to do this, but I doubt you would be his kind. I have to do it. We have no choice Javi!”

Javier looked at her with an intensity in his dark eyes she never saw before. It was as if he was trying to tell her something without words. Tessa knew he didn’t want her to be harm, but she was getting tired of being put away for her “protection”. He needed to understand that she was as strong as him.

-“ _All in_ Javi, you promised me.”

Javier sighed and finally capitulated.

-“Fine.” He said with reluctance, before speaking back to Don Berna to settle the details of the operation. Steve lean toward Tessa and whispered to her, half laughing:

-“Good job! I don’t like the idea either, but I recognize this is the best we have.”

-“Javi is really pissed.” She replied, worried.

-“Don’t torture yourself, I will speak to him, everything will be fine.” Said Steve, smiling at her.

-“Thank you Steve.” She smiled back.

* * *

Three days later, Tessa was in her bathroom, preparing herself for the party. She wore a red dress found in the depths of her dressing, which she hadn’t put in years. Since she became a DEA agent, she hadn’t really had opportunities to put this kind of clothes, and her definition of partying was pretty much all the time getting a drink with her colleagues after a long work day or to celebrate a successful mission in the office. Being part of the DEA wasn’t just a job, it was a lifestyle, and this meant working hard and late pretty much every day. She looked at herself in the mirror, feeling weird. The dress was too suggestive, which was in fact a good point to the mission, but made her insecure. She had put some eyeliner and had loosened her hair, normally always braided in one long plait. Now her chestnut curls fell over her hips.

-“You could at least wear a micro on you!” she heard Javier’s voice over the bathroom door. He and Steve were waiting for her in her living room to get to the party. “So we can hear where you gonna go with him.”

-“He will find it! Too risky!” she answered back.

-“You are telling me you will let this asshole touch you?” he roared through the door.

-“This is exactly why I’m counting on you two to intervene before things go too far!”

-“Look, Tes, all what I’m trying to say…” Tessa had finished getting prepared. She opened the bathroom door while Javier spoke, and enter her living room. Steve was sitting in her couch, while Javier was passing along the room as he spoke. He stopped on the spot when he saw her, his unfinished sentence frozen on his lips.

-“Everything will be fine Javi, don’t worry, I have you and Steve, and if things go bad, I can always hit him!” joked Tessa. Javier didn’t move, giving her a strange look. “What’s wrong?” she asked. Steve stood, chuckling a little at Javier.

-“I think he finds you beautiful Tes. And she’s right,” he said, speaking to Javier. “We will be here all the time; it is a piece of cake!”

Javier didn’t say a word, suddenly frenetically looking for his cigarettes in his pocket.

-“Oy! I don’t want the smell of these in my place, if you want to smoke, wait to be outside.” said Tessa, putting on her shoes.

Javier grumbled something unintelligible about “red dresses” and “wanting to punch this asshole in the face” and get out her flat without waiting for the others. Steve giggled at his reaction and get out with Tessa.

* * *

The party was crowded. Javier and Steve were dressed as waiters, and a van of officers waiting to interfere was parked outside. Tessa detected the target at the bar: middle age, fake tan, quite fatty, rare blonde hair... All she liked she told herself sarcastically. She sat beside the man without looking directly at him, crossed her legs and ordered a drink in a deliberate terrible Spanish. The man twitched as she expected him, and spoke directly to her, while waving at the barmen that he was paying for the drink.

-“What a beautiful American girl does in here alone?” he said, getting close to her with a ludicrous smile.

-“You’re American too? God, you are saving me!” she said with a big smile and a fake enthusiasm. “I thought I was the only stranger here!”

The man get closer, emboldened by her poor-lost-girl-all-alone-in-a-foreign-city act. Things were pretty much successful. The man was totally subjugated by her and, as time passed, began to do some allusions for going somewhere less populated.

-“Don’t you think the noise is too loud? I know a place we won’t be disturbed.” He said, getting up, Tessa following him. She wondered if he was successful other times around women with this lumpish game of seduction. She spotted Javier in the crowd, looking at her, and she subtly nodded at him. He put down the tray of drinks he was carrying and went looking for Steve. This was the moment.

The man brought her to the staff’s toilets. Really charming she thought to herself, unenthusiastic to follow him. As soon as they entered the room, he crashed his mouth on hers. She tried her best to not recoil from him, and responded to the kiss. He began to run his arm along her dress.

-“You’re so hot! I can see you’re as excited as I am!” he said in a salacious tone.

She really wasn’t.

“I want to fuck you so hard right now!” he added.

Charming indeed.

He started to lift her dress. Tessa tried to not panic. At this moment, the toilet’s door slammed, and her friends entered, guns aiming at the man.

-“What the fuck?” he said, completely lost at the situation rollover. Tessa pushed him back with disgust.

-“DEA! You are under arrest for narco traffic and collaboration with Pablo Escobar!” she claimed, while Steve pressed him on the sink in order to cuff him. The man’s face tore in anger.

-“You fooled me, bitch?” Javier stood before him, his dark eyes radiating with anger.

-“Careful on how you addressed to her, asshole!”

-“So what motherfucker? She seduced me for arresting me! I didn’t know the DEA was hiring whores now!”

Javier slammed the man’s face on the sink without warning. He screamed as blood began to fall on the floor.

-“You broke my nose!”

-“I’d break something else if you had some!” Javier replied back before leading him through the door to the police van waiting outside.

* * *

Back at the office, Tessa was waiting to end her deposition to go home. Everyone was celebrating the success of the mission. Javier came to her, with cups of coffee.

-“Congratulations on your mission.” He said, toasting his cup at hers.

-“Thank you Javi. I couldn’t have done it without you and Steve. You arrived just in time to arrest him. It is your success too!”

-“A little too late, I’m sorry he touched you. Are you ok?” he said with marked concern on his face.

-“Yes, don’t worry, I just want to go home, take a shower, replace this ridiculous dress with pajamas and brushed my teeth! He was a terrible kisser!” she laughed.

Javier laughed with her.

-“I wouldn’t call your dress ridiculous, but I understand that you want to get rid of it after what happened. So come on, go home, I will finish the papers.” He said, taking her paperwork.

“Go!” he insisted seeing her hesitation.

-“Thank you Javi!” she said, taking her coat and her car’s keys.

-“You’re welcome.” As she began to walk away, he added:

-“He was wrong you know?”

-“Who?”

-“Steve. You aint just beautiful, you’re absolutely gorgeous. Good night Tes.” He said before leaning over the papers.

Tessa was sure her cheeks were the same color of her dress.

-“G’night Javi” she murmured before leaving the building.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! 
> 
> Here's the new chapter! I prefer to warn you, this can be quite difficult to read... At least, it was difficult to wrote. Well, I suppose if there isn't a little drama, there is no story to tell! Am I a monster? I dunno, you let me know haha.
> 
> Also, did I just write entire sentences in Spanish when in fact my Spanish is totally rusty and worse than my English? Monster and crazy it seems... Yay! Don't hesitate to point out all errors I might have done!

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Things hadn’t gone as planned. In fact, all this was really promising in the beginning. As soon as they guaranteed the man they had arrested at the party that he could have a lower sentence if he spoke, he had revealed all he knew about Escobar and the narco traffic. So much for their “We aren’t delators” code.

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With all these informations, the DEA had seized several tons of cocaine in three labs hidden in the jungle. They had also arrested a lot of men in some Medellin’s houses, and this was by far one of the most successful missions they had ever done. This was before today’s events of course. Steve was leading an operation on his side, while Javier and Tessa were operating another arrest, in one of the addresses given by the prisoner. He had said there was no more than three narcos in the house.

They were fifteen.

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Tessa’s lungs began to protest and searching for air. The Narcos had killed the three cops Javier and her had taken in backup, and were now trying to get the two DEA agents to talk in order to know what the man had told them and what addresses he gave.

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The seconds seemed to last eons. Tessa was counting but had no more air. Her head battled against the arms who maintained her into the tank of water and her hands in her back tried to escape from the restrains holding her wrists. She struggled for life as the fluid began to reach her lungs. At 150 seconds, the arms lifted her and put her in a chair. Air filled again her body, as she spewed water and coughed, lungs burning like hell. She inwardly thanked her DEA’s training for having developed her breathing capacity. In front of her was a limp form, bonded in another chair. Javier’s face was covered in blood, disheveled, his right eyebrow opened, and his lower lip split in half. He was still conscious though, and looked at her with worry. Tessa managed to give him a little smile, and said with a hoarse voice:

-“All in.”

He nodded back.

-“All in.”

They weren’t gonna give the narcos the tiniest information of what they knew about their organization. There were still houses to be found and men to be arrested. And they knew that talking wasn’t gonna change shit about the result:

The narcos will kill them both in the end.

But they were strong and determined, fire will burning in their eyes. At least, they will die together.

Tessa was still trying to catch her breath when the narcos forced her to watch them beat Javier. The men were pro. They knew what they were doing. They tortured them alternately, forcing the other to watch. The end of one’s torment marked the beginning for the other, and the relief she could now feel of still being alive was slowly letting its place for guilt as she knew it was Javier’s turn. They were also using different methods on one another, so they could imagine what the other was enduring while suffering a different kind of pain.

Javier received a punch in the stomach. He groaned and curled on his chair under the pain.

-“ _No hablaré_ ” ( _I won’t speak_ ) he said, panting. He received one more punch in the face.

Another man suddently entered the room. Tessa watched the narcos discuss in Spanish. She caught some words which frightened her.

-“ _… Todo lo que se necesita para hacerlos hablar._ ” ( _All what it takes to make them talk_ ).

The man looked at her and laughed.

“ _¿Sabes quien es? Es la puta de la DEA._ ” ( _Do you know who she is? This is the DEA’s whore_ ).

Tessa didn’t know how they found she was the one who seduced the target at the party. Surely, other narcos were there too. As result, she had earned the lovely nickname “ _Puta de la DEA_ ” amongst the criminals.

The man walked toward her, and held her chin with force, bruising her jaw, so she could see him.

-“ _¡Voy a tratarte de la misma manera!_ ” (“ _I’m gonna treat you the same way!_ ”)

She spat in his face. He wiped her saliva with his sleeve and gave her an evil grin. He grabbed her arm and forced her to get up. She instantly knew what he had under his mind. She fought against him to escape, fear invading her.

-“No. No! Let go of me!”

Javier had also understood what they were going to do to her. He tried to wrestle against his restrains, roaring:

-“ _¡Déjala! ¡No la toques!_ ” ( _Let her go! Don’t touch her!_ )

She heard Javier yelling her name before the man tossed her on the floor of another room and close the door.

-“ _Grita. Me gusta_.” ( _Scream. I like it_ )

She tried to crumple on the floor to escape him, but he was on her in an instant. She kicked him with her legs, her wrists still restrained on her back. The man hit her in the face, hard. She saw stars. He laughed at her as he began to unbuckle her belt. She cried, panicking, wrestling against him, trying to escape.

Suddenly, she heard shots through the door, as well as men screaming in English and in Spanish. The shooting was short, and an instant later, the door slammed open, and she felt her aggressor being lift from her and thrown away.

She watched Javier punching him in the face with energy, while shouting.

-“ _¡No la toques! ¡No la toques!_

_¡NO._

_LA._

_TOQUES!_

YOU.

DON’T.

TOUCH.

HER!”

He was punching the man in rhythm with each world, over and over. Tessa, crying, crawled towards him.

-“Javi! Don’t kill him, we need him alive! We need him to talk! Don’t kill him, it’s fine. I’m fine!”

She was crying in relief of being saved, hot tears running all over her face, as she moved into Javier’s arms, pushing her head onto his chest. He stopped hitting the other man as soon as he felt her against him, released her restrains, and hugged her with force, cradling her with all his strength. She hugged him back and put her head in the curve of his neck, thankful that this nightmare was finally over.

Steve found them like this. His mission over, and having no news from them since they went on different operations, he had taken his officers and had gone to see if everything was all right. They had opened fire on the narcos and had quickly won the shooting. As soon as Steve had freed him from his restrains, Javier had rushed into the other room to save Tessa. They arrested the criminals who were still alive.

Javier and Tessa were transported to the nearest hospital. Tessa was fine, apart for the psychological traumatism and some impressive bruises that would take weeks to completely disappear, and Javier, also shocked and bruised, had some cracked ribs and received stitches on his eyebrow. He refused to stay in for the night though, and rejoined Tessa out, who was talking with Steve, thanking him and telling him all what had happened.

Since they were relatively fine, they had to go to the office, of course, for reporting what had happened. It was very late, but the sooner was the better for the advancement of the case. Once done, Javier insisted to drive Tessa back to her flat. She was still quite shocked by all what had happened. She didn’t want to go home. Not alone at least.

-“Javi?”

-“Mhm?”

-“Could you…” She wasn’t sure how to express herself.

Javier noticed her hesitation.

-“Do you want me to stay for the night?”

-“Yes. If you don’t mind it of course. I don’t want to be alone, not tonight.”

-“Me neither.”

She looked at him with relief that he understood her, but she saw that even if he was trying to hide it, he was as shaken as her. She vaguely wondered just for one moment if he wanted another kind of company, but he knew her, she wouldn’t want a one night stand, and surely not after what had just almost happened. She had faith in him.

Once in her flat, they prepared the couch for Javier and shared a drink. Tessa could feel the alcohol numbing her brain, and was slowly dozing off.

-“Tes, go to bed, you are falling asleep”. Said Javier, taking her drink from her hand before she dropped it.

She agreed, exhausted, wished Javier a good night and went to bed. Even after the day’s events, she fell asleep quickly, comforted to know she wasn’t alone.

_Blood everywhere._

_Men were beating Javier and she couldn’t do anything. She was drowning in a pool of blood, lungs burning, while hands were trying to remove her red dress and get on her skin. The man they had arrested was laughing, calling her “Puta de la DEA”. Javier was on the floor, dead. She heard herself scream:_

-“JAVI!”

-“Tes! Wake-up!”

She opened her eyes, and saw him over her, his hands on her shoulders, shaking her, trying to wake her. She had screamed his name out loud in her sleep. She felt tears on her face and wiped them off.

-“Javi. I’m sorry.”

-“It’s alright, it was just a nightmare, it’s all over, I promise you.”

She knew he was right, but she was still trembling, frightened. He leaned back and removed his hands from her shoulders. Instinctively, before he was out of reach, she grabbed his wrist.

He stopped and the moment froze.

She wanted to say to him “Stay”, but she couldn’t open her mouth, she simply couldn’t express everything she felt after this day. She had endured horrors, and had feared it was the end, but what she had mostly feared was he was killed before her and she had to survive without him. She didn’t want to lose him. She didn’t want him to go away. She realized now how wrong she had been since the beginning. She wanted to prove everyone she was strong and competent, but he was right, it was not a game, and she realized now she needed his protection.

She needed him.

Javier looked at her, with an anguish look, as if he could understand all she was trying to say with her eyes and her hand which didn’t want to quit his wrist.

-“Oh, Tes!” He said with a tormented voice.

He pulled the sheets and laid down close to her in her bed. She put her head in his shoulder, careful not to hurt his cracked ribs. He held her in his arms, his hands soothing her back and softly brushing her hair. She felt him gently kissing her forehead.

-“I’m here Tes, I’m here, I’m here.” He murmured to her, almost like a pray, a promise of something he couldn’t say out loud for now. She took one of his hands in hers and squeezed it, as for telling him she understood.

Perhaps he wanted to really kiss her.

Perhaps he wanted more.

Perhaps she wanted it too.

Perhaps they both knew it was too soon for it, not now, not after what had just happened, not after all she had endured. She needed time, and for now, his lithe form against her, his low voice, his soft lips on her forehead and his strong arms holding her were reassuring and all she needed. She could finally close her eyes, lulled by his heartbeat and his breathing, signs that he was here, with her, alive and safe.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Here is the last chapter of this story, I hope you will enjoy it.  
> Disclaimer : There will be a lot of SPOILERS of the season 2, so make sure you have seen it all before, you've been warned :)  
> Stay tuned to the end, I have a LOT of things to tell you !

Weeks had passed. Bruises had disappeared, stitches had been removed, ribs had been cured and traumatism was slowly fading. The horror they had lived together and Steve rescuing them had strengthened their bond and they knew now that all three of them were going to be friends forever, no matter what could happen. They often spend their time off together, dining with Steve and Connie after work, or simply sharing a drink at the bar next to the DEA’s office. Tessa and Javier were back to work, and the hunt for Escobar was stronger than ever. The most wanted criminal had escaped from his golden prison, the “Club Medellin”, as Javier liked to call it, and had simply vanished in the air. It should have been terrible news, but the DEA agents were in fact thrilled by it. All this meant they could track, arrest, and send him into a real prison this time. No more jacuzzi, silk sheets and pool tables for him. But that was the theory. In reality, the amount of paperwork inventorying all the luxuries they had found into La Catedral was insane, and was slowly starting to drive Tessa crazy.

She looked up from the rapport she was typing and blinked several time, chasing the fog in her eyes.

-“God, I hate paperwork.” She murmured to herself.

-“Me too!” said Javier, coming back from his pause with three cups of coffee. He gave one to Steve who also looked completely drained at his desk, and offered another to Tessa.

-“Thank you Javi.” She said with a smile.

He nodded over his own cup, his black eyes shining, dangerously alluring her. She remembered the night they shared in her bed after this terrible day. Nothing had happened between them, but she couldn’t get the feeling of his arms protecting her and his kiss on her forehead out of her mind. Tessa shook herself mentally and get back to work.

The phone ring surprised them all. Steve took the call, listened to his interlocutor with concern and hang up ten seconds later.

-“It’s Carrillo, he needs us on the field now, for arresting spotters”. He said with a sigh.

The Colonel, head of the Search block police unit was perhaps the only man Escobar really feared. He was certainly making his life difficult by conducting raids and arrests tirelessly. If he was pretty successful in his missions, Tessa couldn’t help her but frown on his doubtful methods of investigation. She never had witnessed it, but rumors in the office said he was torturing prisoners and even killed one or two at some point. She wasn’t sure if all of this was true, but she certainly found the man unpleasant and sinister. And, given the way Javier and Steve looked at her and each other, they were sharing her opinion. Still, they all grabbed their guns and bulletproof jackets before leaving the building.

Posted in a street of Medellin, Colonel Carrillo was explaining which houses they were going to investigate and what equipment they might found: radios, walkies-talkies and other tech.

-“Agents Murphy, Peña and Spencer, let all this be crystal clear. This is a Colombian operation, not an American one. I only called you in backup and for international agreement, but I don’t want you to intervene at any point or take the credit if the mission is successful, is that understood?”

They all agreed with reluctance. What a comedy! This was all political, like everything else, and they were only here to play emissaries in this diplomatic masquerade, just because Carillo needed to prove some _gringos_ that the Colombian army didn’t need them.

They used pliers to get unnoticed through the fence of the first building they raided. It housed a mother and two children who were dinning around the kitchen table: a teenager, no more than sixteen years old, and his young brother, who was something like eleven. When they entered, they all focused in particular on the older son, he was the perfect profile of a delinquent. However, to their surprised, when they all began to shout “Police!” and raising their guns just in warning, it was the youngest boy who began to run out of the house. Trujillo, Carillo’s lieutenant chased him onto three streets before catching him. Carillo took him in an alley to interrogate him. The kid was trying to escape, but Trujillo was holding him with strength.

Carillo spoke to the child in Spanish, seeking all knowledge he could have on Escobar. The kid refused to talk and was provoking the Colonel. Tessa had a bad feeling about the whole situation. The three DEA agents were standing behind the Colombian Search block. As he said, it was Carillo’s mission; they couldn’t interfere against his orders.

Carillo grew irritated and spoke in Spanish to his soldiers. One of them leaved, looking for something. Carillo was fumbling and threatened the child:

-“ _Voy a usar_ _todo lo que se necesita para hacerte hablar !_ ” _(I’m gonna used all what it takes to make you talk!)_

Tessa froze. The Colonel had pronounced the same words the kidnappers had said to her. Before she could utter something, the soldier who had leaved previously was returning, and gave Carillo the pliers they used on the fence. Tessa looked at Javier with concern. He wasn’t really going to use them, was he? It was certainly just for frightening the kid.

But Carillo didn’t even threaten him. Without warning, he grabbed one of the kid’s hands, and instantly cut one of his fingers off his hand. Blood spread everywhere on the ground and the child screamed in pain and horror.

Tessa gasped and went to stop the Colonel. This man was completely insane. But she was instantaneously held back by Javier.

-“We can’t intervene Tes don’t make him angry against you, it will be worst! If he decides to cut us out of the case, we will never catch Escobar.” He murmured in her ear.

Tessa looked at him, he was pale under his usually tan skin and his hands were shaking on her shoulders. He was as shocked and revolted than her, but he was right. They couldn’t do shit against the Colombian army without creating a diplomatic incident. Steve knew it too, and he was looking down, hands in his pockets, nervously balancing on his feet.

Once more, Carillo’s methods were successful. The child, sobbing, began to tell everything he knew and where he was hiding the radio equipment.

 _-“¡Por favor Señor, ayudame! ¡Por favor!”_ _(Please Mister, help me! Please!)_ he cried, once finished, begging for help, holding his bleeding hand.

 _-“¡Si, si, voy a ayudarte!”_ _(Yes, I’m going to help you)_ answered Carillo, pulling his gun out of his pocket with a grin.

-“Tes! Don’t look!” said Javier

Tessa immediately looked down, but she couldn’t avoid hearing the gunshot and the mat sound the child’s body did when it hit the pavement. She was shaking in horror. She felt Javier hold her hand and squeezing it vigorously.

Satisfied, Carillo leaved the alley with his men. The three DEA agents, still not believing what they saw, were frozen in place. Steve was white like a ghost, and Javier was clenching his jaw with force. Tessa eventually looked up and saw the child’s corpse, abandoned on the ground, drowning in a pond of blood which was slowly stretching away from the hole in his head, and the loose finger still bleeding next to it.

It was too much. Her stomach went wild and she removed her hand from Javier’s and run straight to puke in a corner.

Later, Javier Steve and Tessa found themselves around a table at the bar next to the DEA’s office. They were prostrated in front of their drinks, still marked by Carillo’s actions. They didn’t know what to say. They knew they should have interfered at some point, but what would have been the consequences on the mission? Now, they had to live with the kid’s death on their minds. 

Javier was playing with a cigarette, not lit. He finally threw it away. Steve and Tessa looked at him with quite a surprise.

-“I’m trying to stop, but some days are really tough. I want to smoke this one, but I don’t want Tes to run away.” He said with a sort of chuckle, attempting to joke to light up a bit the general mood. 

Steve stood from his chair.

-“I should go home. Connie will be waiting for me. You should go too, both of you. There is no point lingering here. Try to get some rest; it will be better tomorrow… I hope.” he said to Javier and Tessa, not sure of himself though.

They wished him goodnight – if possible - and watched him leave the bar. They didn’t move.

Javier really seemed miserable. Tessa was looking at him, and it hurt her to see him like that. Javier noticed her eyes on him. He tried to smile to her, and failed remarkably.

-“Sometimes, I don’t know anymore who the good guys are and who the bad are. Do you still think we are on the good side?”

Tessa thought of the previous event with disgust.

-“We are. Otherwise we wouldn’t be so completely shocked trying to drink our memories out. But I think some claims to be on the good side while they are bad. Carillo is just a fucking monster. And I don’t think all this will end well for him. One day or another, the wheel will turn, and he will harvest the seeds he had planted.”

-“Some days I hate this job, and I hate myself even more.” Said Javier, ashamed of himself.

Tessa looked at him. His eyes were shining like two black stars. 

-“This wasn’t what I meant when I told you “ _All in_ ”, you know? I meant working hard and late, don’t question too much if an informant wasn’t really clean, never forget that the purpose is to catch Escobar, and never fail each others.” He added. “I’ve never, _never_ meant to be kidnapped and tortured and witnessed children being executed in cold blood. All I wanted was to protect you. I’m sorry.”

His eyes were full of tears, which ended up overflowing on his cheeks. Tessa had never seen him cry before. He seemed so fragile at this moment, like he was finally showing her his real self, the one behind the character of the cool and seductive cop he usually played anytime. She could see his broken soul now, all bruised, the one he was hiding, buried deep in him, now completely revealed before her, and she suddenly realized.

She realized how selfish she had been all along. He wanted to protect her and she had rejected him first before finally accepting the fact that he was right and she needed him. But she never wondered before this night if he too needed someone at his side. She had him, and Steve had Connie, but in reality, Javier was alone. That’s why he gave the appearance of the eternal bachelor who enjoyed spending time with any girl passing by. In the end, this wasn’t just about sex at all; it was about getting someone at his side who could understand him and what his job was demanding, who would comprehend that he was working late and putting himself in danger because he was chasing one of the most dangerous criminal this degenerated world had ever known. Few people could in fact understand this, even fewer outside their profession. Connie understood Steve, because she was smart and loving, but she still had to leave him at some point. Not because she didn’t love him anymore, but because she had feared for their child, Olivia. After making sure their daughter was safe at Miami, she came back to Steve, because she knew he needed her.

Tessa felt guilty for having taken so long to realize all this. He needed her as much as she needed him, and her heart broke in myriad pieces seeing him like this. She took one of his hands into hers, tears coming to her eyes too.

-“Maybe we could try to protect each other”. She simply said, trying to smile at him under her tears.

Javier was holding his breath.

-“Tes?” he whispered, hesitant.

-“I’m here Javi, I’m here.” She added, cupping his cheek with her hand, wipping off his tears. She used the same words he had said to her, aware now of what he meant back at this moment, the truth unspoken between them, now unveiled, that he loved her, and she loved him too.

His fingers went to shyly brush her hair behind her ear, and he slowly bent towards her. His face was resting an inch apart, his lips flying just above hers, as if he still hesitated, not believing she truly wanted the same thing as him, but when she ran one of her hands in his hair and smiled to him, he closed the distance, sealing his lips with hers.

His kiss had something at the same time desperate and passionate and it drove Tessa out of her mind, sending shivers along her spine. She was trembling against him, and she could taste the salt of their tears combined. His hair was like soft silk under her fingers, and his smooth lips were burning hers. She answered him with hunger, allowing him to deepening the kiss. Never in her life had someone kissed her like this before, with such desperate craving for her love.

When they broke the kiss, searching for air, he rested his forehead onto hers, his hands still holding her close to him, never wanted to let her go away, a warm smile lightening his face.

-“Come” murmured Tessa to him, taking his hand in hers before getting up, “Let’s go home”.

* * *

The four friends were sharing a dinner in Steve and Connie’s place. They were laughing, wine flooding, celebrating their reunion after months of separation. Javier had been send back to the USA for having shared information with Los Pepes, which didn’t really please the DEA. He could have lost his job, but all he wanted was to make things progress. He didn’t know then they would use so bloody methods in their battle. Tessa had accompanied him, of course, abandoning without hesitation her own post and the poor Steve, who was alone for the rest of the case. Eventually, all had ended up to be fine: Carillo had been killed by Escobar himself, and the drug lord had been terminated on a roof, by Steve and his men. They even took a picture in front of his corpse, like hunters before the lion they just shouted down. The manhunting was over, and the peace had been reestablished in Medellin.

Surprisingly, the DEA had called back Javier, asking him to take the head of the Cartel of Cali’s case. They were sending him away, and he could never work with Steve again, but this was in fact a promotion, and it had not really been welcomed by those who considered him as a traitor. But someone had to do it after all, and he was in fact the only one who knew everything on this file, and who wasn’t reluctant in front of the amount of work it will take.

Tessa was actually proud of him, and was resting her head in his shoulder, the wine slowly numbing her train of thoughts. His strong arm was enclosing her, keeping her by his side, his hand softly caressing her arm while he spoke to Steve and Connie.

-“And you Tessa?” asked Connie, “Will you also work with Javier on this case?”

-“Of course!” she said back laughing quietly, “Where he goes, I’ll go, and there is enough work for the both of us to take this Cartel down!”

She raised her glass to share a toast with her friends.

“All in!”

They all toasted back, smiling at each other:

“All in!”

_The end_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well well, here we are! If you are still there, thank you so much for having read my story despite my not so good English. This is by far the longest thing I have ever written in English, and even though it is not perfect, I'm pretty glad of myself to have done it entirely to the end. I hope you have appreciated it, and before you go, I still have many things to tell you:  
> First of all, I watched Narcos because I totally did my fangirl for Pedro Pascal, and the thing is, I didn’t expect to be so astonished by this series and the whole story. Not only I learned everything that has happened with Escobar, but I just really fall in love with Steve and Javier.
> 
> Not only because of Pedro Pascal. I don’t just talk about his character, but the real agents behind the series, real Steve Murphy and Javier Peña who are just total heroes. And, even if the series is really good and I based my own story on the series, there are some points I wanted to clear for you, so you can understand what I’m talking about and love them more at your turn:  
> I have read “Manhunters : How we took down Pablo Escobar”, which is the book written by the real Steve Murphy and Javier Peña, which details much more their personals lives than the show, and I just fall in love a second time with Javier.  
> His character in the TV show is really a good guy, but I wanted you to know how profoundly, genuinely GOOD is the real Javier Peña: 
> 
> \- He did left his fiancée just before the weeding, but he had a really good reason to do it: She told him she was pregnant, but she wasn’t. She manipulated and fooled him, and even arranged things with a nurse, who told him she was really pregnant. The day before the weeding however, she finally confessed him she had fooled him. She was totally crazy, and he didn’t want to live the rest of his life with someone who lied to him in such an atrocious manner.  
> \- He never, NEVER gave any DEA’s intelligence to any informant in order to make things move faster. He didn’t contact los Pepes, like it is depicted in the series. There was leaked information, and it was in fact the Colonel Martinez who was in contact with Los Pepes.  
> \- He has never accepted a bribe in his entire career. Don Berna gave him his watch and forced him to take it at some point, a gold Rado, which was certainly worth thousands of dollars, and he just send it to the DEA headquarters in Bogotá.  
> \- The day Escobar was shoot down, Javier was following a false tip in Miami. He was never sent back to the USA because he had given information to Los Pepes, he was in fact just doing his job! And he was pretty angry not being with Steve at this moment, as you can imagine.  
> Here is again random furthers things: Connie never left Steve for her and their daughter (Monica and not Olivia) protection. She was always by his side, and Steve is so thankful to have such a strong wife. Monica was adopted by the normal procedure, she was never found by Steve and Javier themselves. Carillo never existed (and for me, it is a relief to know that such a monster wasn’t real). Otherwise, once all this points cleared out, the series is really loyal to the History. 
> 
> I highly encourage you to read this book, this is a good bonus to the series, and we learn a lot of things on Steve and Javier lives, and their DEA formation, and the manhunt. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed all this, thank you once again for having read my story and my note to this point. Feel free to let some commentaries, I will gladly answer them!


End file.
